A Silent Cause
by Kennedy W
Summary: A Gadge story that I may or may not continue :)
1. Chapter 1

District 2 was hot, stuffy, and crowded and Gale couldn't have imagined what it would have been like before the war. But he had to stay there in that stagnant city, his new job basically forced him to do his work over in their large concrete office buildings that had somehow miraculously survived the bombings. Now that the war was over there wasn't very much for a lot of the soldiers to do. A lot of them had moved to District 4 to see the beaches and go on some sort of retirement vacation, but Gale wanted to work. He enjoyed working, it kept his mind off things, things that had been eating away inside of him ever since the bombs were dropped in District 12. He would never go back to his hometown, it hurt him too much to see the ruins of what once had been. Not to mention Katniss and Peeta were in District 12. Gale had no idea what Katniss felt towards him, and he didn't want to find out anytime soon. He had killed her sister, not on purpose of course, how was he supposed to know that little Primrose Everdeen, heart of gold, was down on the ground trying to save lives while Gale and his team were overhead dropping bombs. Gale had nightmares of those events almost every night, and he found that drinking his problems in a bottle of whiskey before he went to sleep helped keep the images at bay.

Gale was broken, that was for sure, his movements were slower than before and every day he felt as if he were in a daze. He had stopped hunting, there was no use for it anyway, he had received a large cheque after the war, so he was pretty much set for life. He missed it though, running through the woods with his bow, getting the tingle of excitement when he had caught sight of a wild animal and the sense of accomplishment when he would bring his prizes home to his family after a long day. He missed his family but he knew he would never go and visit them in District 11, where they now lived. He couldn't face them, just like he couldn't face Katniss, he felt guilty. Rory couldn't even look him in the eye, Gale had always thought there was something going on with him and Prim and his questions were answered when his younger brother had stopped talking to him after the war. He also didn't need his mother's pity, he found that she acted different around him, she had a different look on her face, she felt sorry for him but knew there was nothing she could do to help.

And to top it all off, his thoughts kept running back to her. The blonde haired, blue eyed, mayor's daughter who always somehow smelt like strawberries. He remembered the small moments they had shared together in District 12, watching the games together either at Gale's house or in the town square, he never figured out why she never wanted him in her own house, his best guess was not having her father find out she was hanging out with a dirty Seam boy. Gale didn't like her at first. When Katniss volunteered for her sister, Madge had tried talking to him out in the hallway while they were saying goodbye, but he promptly brushed her off. Then when Gale would come to her doorstep to bring her usual basket of strawberries she would try giving him more money than he had asked for and that infuriated him. He didn't want her help, yes he had to feed two families on his own but he was too proud to accept any form of charity. She had somehow found a way to become a part of his life though, she was always at his house whether it was helping his mother with her laundry business or helping watch the kids while they were both out. He soon came to tolerate her presence a little more every day and they eventually ended up making it a routine to watch the games together when Gale returned from the woods. They both sat on either end of the couch and Gale would notice how she nervously picked at the skin around her fingernails while her eyes were glued to the screen.

Gale remembered the time she had followed him into the woods one day, she was trying to make herself go unnoticed, but of course she wasn't as skilled as he was and her heavy footsteps gave her away within the first few minutes. When Gale had called her out for it and found her hiding behind a tree trunk, she explained how she wanted to learn to hunt. And as mad as he should have been, Gale didn't mind showing her a few things, but he told her to never come out into the woods without him. At the time he didn't understand why he'd made that request, it's not like he cared for her that much, she could have done whatever she wanted to for all he cared. But when those bombs came raining down in District 12, targeted straight for her house first, he quickly came to realize that he did have feelings for her, and every day after that he regretting not acting upon them. He was mad at himself for not realizing it sooner.

Gale was abruptly awoken from his thoughts by the sound of his watch going off, signaling the end of the work day. With a small sigh he lifted his tall frame from his desk chair and gathered his things. Making his way out of his office, he was thankful he didn't run into any of his co-workers, knowing he'd have to make some sort of mundane small talk. He made his way out into the street and started walking down the sidewalk in the blistering sun. The streets were moderately busy, cars passed him on the street and he kept his eyes down as he passed stranger after stranger, all carrying on with their lives as if nothing had happened four months before. Everyone around him seemed happier, like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, which it had. There were no more games, parents didn't have to worry about their children's safety anymore. Gale looked up when he heard the sound of children laughing, he caught sight of two siblings, the older brother was chasing around his younger sister. The young girl's hair was knotted in a braid trailing down her back and she was wearing a fiery red dress. Of course, Katniss was everywhere these days, people really looked up to her after what she had done for them. Gale could admit to himself that she deserved the recognition but it just made it harder for him to get her out of his mind.

Just a few blocks away from where he worked was a local and well known pub that Gale frequented almost every night. The doors chimed like they always did as Gale walked inside and sat at his regular spot. The bartender, Barlow, gave him a smile and handed him his usual glass of whiskey and Gale drank it quickly.

"How's work today, Hawthorne?" Barlow asked him as he took his empty glass and started to fill it up again. Gale looked up at him and shrugged his shoulders.

"Same as usual. Meaningless office work." He replied as he took the glass back from the older man, this time sipping his drink a little more slowly.

"Nobody signed up for the training yet?" Barlow studied his face as Gale rolled his eyes and shook his head. Gale was supposed to be working as a training commander, teaching others how to fight for war. But nobody had shown any interest, everyone must have thought that the world would be at peace forever. But Gale knew as long as there were people on the earth, there would always be war. There had also been rumors spread around his office that there was some conflict happening in the west. And so Gale was put to work in his stuffy office, just waiting for anyone to sign their roster.

The night went on as it usually did, more of the usual's wandered into the bar making small talk with Gale, but he mostly tried to keep to himself. At one point in the night, after he had had more than a few too many, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. When he turned around his heart started to race a little. A tall blonde was standing next to him, a smile on her face. He blinked a few times and his he felt himself relax a little. It wasn't Madge. How could it have been, she was dead under the rubble of District 12. The blonde gave him a smile and sat on the barstool next to him

"Hello handsome, you seemed a little glum so I thought I'd give you some company." She said, her voice was high pitched, higher than Madge's. And she smelt like vanilla mixed with coffee, not like strawberries, Gale didn't like it.

"Thanks, but I'm just fine." Gale answered her quietly. His eyes wandered down to his lap where the girl's hand had wandered to rest on his thigh.

"What's wrong? I can help you feel better." She said a little quieter this time, leaning into his side more. Gale could sense that Barlow was watching the interaction and he let out a sigh. He quickly pulled out his wallet and left some bills on the counter before standing up with the girl. Typical for Gale to leave the bar with a girl late at night, he never got into any serious relationships, just quick one night stands where he refused to call any of them back the next day.

"I'll be right back." Gale mumbled to the girl and made his way to the restroom. After taking a few minutes and splashing some water on his face, he walked back out to the bar and suddenly realized he had forgotten his wallet. He returned to the bar and noticed a woman sitting in his spot and as he reached over to grab his wallet from in front of her, his hand stopped short. The woman sitting right in front of him wasn't the one who had offered him her bed only minutes before. No. Madge Undersee was right there, living and breathing. Gale's vision started to get blurry as he stared at her face, trying to figure out if what he was seeing was real or not. Madge suddenly noticed his presence beside her and she turned to look up at him. As their eyes locked, Gale watched as her face went from confusion, to recognition, to surprise, and he suddenly felt like he was going to pass out. He watched as her mouth opened, but her words sounded like they were miles away.

"Gale?"


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm so sorry Gale." Madge's voice was quiet and her cheeks were slightly pink, she tore her eyes away from the screen and studied his face. Katniss and Peeta had just kissed for the first time in the arena and Gale was trying to look anywhere but at the screen in front of him. His eyes darted over to her and he frowned. Madge was at his house watching the games like she usually did, she had only spoken up when his mother had gone upstairs to sleep.

"What are you sorry about?" He asked, although he had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.

Madge took in a deep breath and glanced at the television for a quick second. "I know this must be hard for you." She answered and Gale forced out a laugh.

"I could care less what Catnip and Loverboy do." He said with a small frown.

"Gale come on, don't tell me you'd don't have feelings for her." She said and crossed her arms. Again, he laughed but before he could answer, Madge spoke up again. "It's okay though, she's just doing it to stay alive." She gave him a small, reassuring smile. Gale thought for a moment and considered that she was probably right. He had never heard of Katniss ever talking about Peeta before the games had started, so this must have been all an act. He looked over at the blonde again and raised his eyebrow.

"Why are you telling me all of this anyway?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Because Gale, I'm your friend and I can tell when you're upset." She said and slowly pulled herself up from the couch.

Friends! Gale almost laughed out loud but quickly stopped himself as he thought it over. If he had looked back on himself a year before, he would never have imagined being in the same house as Madge Undersee. But now, he figured, they actually had formed some sort of friendship and he strangely didn't mind.

"I should get going." Madge continued as she moved over to the door. "My dad will be wondering where I am."

Gale looked out the window at the pitch black sky and suddenly he could hear his mother's voice in the back of his mind. There was no way he'd survive his mother's wrath if she found out he had let the mayor's daughter walk home by herself in the middle of the night, especially in the Seam.

"I'll walk you home." He said quickly as he stood up and walked to the door and Madge looked embarrassed.

"Thanks Gale, I'll be honest with you, I was a little scared to go by myself. I've never stayed this late." She said, her eyes refusing to meet his. Gale let out a small laugh and nudged her teasingly.

"C'mon then, lets go." He said, and followed her out the door.

They walked through the Seam and into town in comfortable silence, their feet crunching across the streets. The wind had picked up and Gale noticed Madge had her arms wrapped around herself and she was shivering slightly. Without hesitating, he quickly took off his frayed sweater and draped it across her frail shoulders. Madge looked up at him quickly and raised her eyebrows

"What are you doing?" She asked and Gale forced a small smile.

"I'm your friend, Undersee, and I can tell when you're cold." He said, obviously mocking her and Madge let out a laugh.

"Well, thanks." She smiled warmly and wrapped his sweater tighter around her body. As they approached Madge's house, Gale stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and let her go up

"See you tomorrow?" He asked her, shoving his hands into his pockets and Madge gave him a nod.

"I'll be there." She grinned and unlocked her door "Goodnight Gale."

"Night, Undersee." He smirked a little and started off down the road again.

...

He woke up suddenly, the sun shining through the window was directly on his face. He laid there for a few moments as waves of nausea rolled through him and he silently cursed himself for drinking more than he could handle. As he listened to the faint ticking of the clock on the wall, his eyes snapped open and he realized he wasn't in his apartment. The events from last night suddenly came rushing to his mind and his heart started to race. Ignoring his pounding head, he ran out of the bedroom and down the stairs at the end of the hallway. He found himself in a small kitchen where a blonde woman was cooking something on the stove.

"Madge!" He gasped and started towards her, but his feet stopped short as the woman turned around and he realized that it in fact was not Madge Undersee, but the other blonde woman from the bar.

The woman raised her eyebrows and placed a hand on her hip.

"No, not Madge. My name is Brandi." She told him and she turned back to the stove where she was frying two eggs.

Gale stood there confused as he tried to remember what had happened the night before. He didn't remember passing out so quickly, and he worried that what had happened maybe hadn't happened at all. he cleared his throat and frowned.

"What am I doing here? I don't remember getting here last night." He said and Brandi handed him a plate of eggs and toast.

"You passed out last night." She told him. "Nobody knew where you lived so I volunteered the take you to my place. I got a few guys from the bar to come with me and carry you inside."

Gale watched her as she made a plate for herself and sat down at the table, he blinked a few times before replying.

"What about the blonde girl? Did you see where she went?" He asked her and she looked up from her plate.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I went out to get my car and when I came back inside you were on the floor, completely out of it. I never saw another blonde girl." She told him and Gale's heart dropped. Maybe he really had imagined it all. After a few beats, he set down the plate on the table, rushed to the front door, and started pulling his boots on.

"Are you leaving already?" Brandi watched him from her spot at the table, a small frown on her face.

"I have to go." He replied "But, uh, thanks for everything." He added and he walked out of the building quickly

As Gale walked down the street, his mind ran through the past 24 hours. She was supposed to be dead, he figured she'd be under the rubble in District 12 since he had seen her house go up in flames. Yet strangely he remembered never hearing any screams coming from the burning windows. How had she gotten out alive? How had she ended up in District 2, and how long had she been there? He was sure he had seen Madge inside that bar, even if he was a little drunk, he swore he detected the faint scent of strawberries. She had recognized him and she had looked as shocked as he felt. Yet why had she taken off so quickly? Why hadn't she waited for him to wake up?

So many questions ran through his mind as his feet carried him across the road and straight towards Barlow's pub. He pushed his way inside and the bells on the door went off. There were only a couple people inside, the usual day-drinkers, but Gale ignored their stares as he went up to the bar.

Barlow turned when he heard his footsteps and his eyebrows raised in concern.

"Hawthorne, how are you feeling? You really hit your head when you fell." He said as he set down the glass he had been polishing. But Gale ignored his question.

"Did you see where that blonde girl went?" He asked him quickly, suddenly realizing he was out of breath.

"The one who took you home?" Barlow asked and Gale shook his head quickly which caused him to feel slightly dizzy.

"No, the one sitting in my spot. When I passed out."

"Oh right." Barlow nodded. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost when you laid eyes on her." He said chuckling softly, and Gale felt some relief in his chest, he hadn't imagined her after all. Barlow continued on; "But no, I never saw where she went. As soon as you were on the floor she booked it outta here." He said with a shrug and Gale let out a defeated sigh, running his hands through his hair in frustration. There was no way he'd be able to find her, she could be anywhere in the city.

Barlow watched him in curiosity for a few minutes before turning around, fixing Gale a drink, and sliding it over to him. "Who is she?" He asked him and Gale tossed back his drink quickly.

"Just a girl I knew when I lived in 12." He replied quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose and Barlow raised an eyebrow.

"Just a girl? Must be something more than that if you're so keen on finding her." He said and smirked a little. Gale glared at him and got up from the barstool, ignoring his comment.

"Will you let me know if she ever comes back here?" He looked at Barlow and the old man nodded

"Sure thing, Hawthorne." He responded and Gale gave him a nod and walked out of the building.

The wind had picked up outside and clouds were starting to form in the sky as Gale walked back to his apartment. He felt defeated, the little seed of hope that had formed in his chest had completely disappeared. He thought back to the dream he had had that night. No, not a dream, a memory. Why had his brain recalled that night so vividly? As he tried to make sense of it all, he suddenly remembered something else from the night before. Sitting there in his spot at the bar, Madge had been wearing the same sweater he had lent to her on that cold night in District 12.


	3. Chapter 3

Weeks went by with no sighting of Madge. Gale would find himself staring as strangers passed him on the street, or trying to see inside car windows that drove by, just trying to catch of glimpse of the curly blonde hair or piercing blue eyes. He felt utterly defeated, the city was too big to go driving around trying to find her. He wanted to see her so badly, his chest felt tight every time he thought about the idea of never seeing her again. When he watched her house go up in flames he had felt that same rigid feeling, he learnt to deal with the pain and could almost ignore it completely. But now that he knew she was alive and well, the feeling grew even more and it consumed his every waking hour. He had taken a few days off of work and spent his days going for long runs or drinking the day away. Returning to work was hard, the days felt longer than usual and he had trouble focusing on all of his tasks. He never realized how much of an impact the Madge had made in his life and he was angry a himself for being too stubborn to admit that he was in love with her.

A couple months passed and in a sense, Gale was feeling better. Not happier by any means, but he was feeling more like he had felt before the whole incident at the bar had happened. He had even started a sort of friendship with one of his new co-workers, Hadley. He was the same age as Gale and liked to drink just as much as him. Hadley was a good distraction for Gale, he could listen to his friend's life stories and forget about his own.

"How's Brandi, by the way?" Hadley was looking at Gale with a smirk, his drink halfway to his lips. They were sitting in Barlow's pub like the usually would every Thursday night after work. Gale's eyes trailed down to his own drink and he shrugged his shoulders. Him and Brandi had somewhat started seeing each other a few weeks earlier. Gale wouldn't call it a relationship though, since every time they saw each other they would end up in each others beds.

"She's fine." He said quietly and his friend let out a laugh but let the subject drop.

"Are you going to go to the charity dinner event for work on Saturday?" Hadley asked him and Gale shook his head quickly.

"Wasn't planning on it, not really my thing." He replied, squirming at the thought of having to put on a suit and force himself to make small talk with people he didn't care about.

"You should come, it'll be fun. Brandi can be your date." He smiled and Gale let out a sigh.

"I'll think about it but don't get your hopes up."

Hadley nodded, knowing there wasn't any way to convince him "Do you want to come over to my place tonight? My girlfriend makes a mean lasagna." He offered after a few minutes of silence. Gale got up form his bar stool and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks, but maybe next time." Hadley gave him a nod and the two men parted their ways.

Gale lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was three in the morning and he couldn't sleep. Brandi was asleep beside him; her naked body was half covered by the sheets. He rolled over onto his side and stared at her face in the dark. She was beautiful, with her long hair falling over her shoulders and her structured cheekbones. He let his mind wander and he began to compare her to Madge; Brandi's hair was straighter, Madge's nose was rounder, Brandi was taller, Madge's cheeks were sprinkled with freckles. But as Brandi made a small noise in her sleep, Gale's thoughts stopped abruptly and he suddenly felt guilty. Brandi had done nothing wrong, she was an attractive woman who was highly motivated, and not to mention great in bed. Yet Gale just couldn't get over the bubbly and lighthearted mayor's daughter from District 12. Brandi didn't deserve to be treated this way even if she had no idea it was happening. He was angry at himself, Brandi could be good for him and he was only using her as a distraction. His hand reached out and he pushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen in her face. He let his hand linger on her cheek lightly and suddenly promised to himself that he would start making an effort with Brandi and drive Madge out of his head completely. And as if she was reading his thoughts, Brandi's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him.

"Hey." She mumbled quietly, her voice slow and raspy. Gale smiled back at her and leaned over to kiss her

"Sorry if I woke you up." Gale whispered after their lips had parted and he watched as she shook her head.

"That's okay, can't sleep?" She asked him and wrapped one arm around his waist.

He nodded a little and pulled her closer to him, breathing in her usual scent of vanilla and coffee, realizing that he could probably get used to it. Brandi reached up and was playing with his hair softly. They stayed that way for a while in silence before Gale spoke up again.

"What are you doing Saturday night?" He asked her and opened his eyes to look at her. She shrugged her shoulders and pecked his lips softly.

"Nothing that I know of." She replied, her hands moving down and resting on his shoulders.

"We're having this charity event for work, you should come with me. I mean, if you want to." His words felt rushed, almost as if he was nervous to ask her. He watched her face light up and she nodded quickly.

"I would love to Gale." She said and kissed him once again. Gale smiled against her lips and pulled her closer to him, wrapping her up in his arms tightly. They both fell asleep a couple hours later, and for the first time since the bombings, Gale didn't dream about Madge.


	4. Chapter 4

Gale let out a frustrated noise as he struggled with the tie around his neck, and Brandi laughed, finishing with the last touches of her makeup.

"Do you need some help?" She asked him with a small smirk and made her way across the room to him. She was wearing a form fitting navy blue floor length dress that matched his tie. Gale rolled his eyes playfully at her and let his hands drop to his sides.

"These things are so stupid." He grumbled and watched as her long fingers skillfully tied his tie into a perfect knot.

"I've had lots of practice with my little brothers and my dad after my mom died." She said after she saw the look he had given her, and Gale raised his eyebrows.

"I never knew your mom passed away." He said quietly, reaching out to take her hands. Brandi shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the floor.

"It's not that big of a deal, it happened when I was eleven." She replied and Gale tilted her chin up, kissing her softly. She kissed him back deeply, her arms wrapping around his neck, Gale could sense that it was an uncomfortable topic for her so he vowed not to mention it again until she was ready. Brandi pulled away first and cleared her throat.

"Alright we should get going or we'll be late picking up Hadley and Em." She grabbed her purse and Gale followed her outside of her house. Brandi got into her car and Gale sat in the passenger seat. He had not learned how to drive since he had arrived in District 2 and he was not planning on learning any time soon even though the majority of the city had cars. He just figured it was a waste of time and money.

They drove over to Hadley's apartment and found the two of them waiting outside by the main doors. They both climbed into the backseat and Brandi drove off again down the road.

"You guys look great!" Hadley's girlfriend, Em, told them and Brandi smiled.

"Well so do you two. I love your dress Em, where did you get it?"

Hadley and Gale gave each other a look as the two of them delved into their 'girl talk' and Hadley leaned towards the front.

"How long do you think we'll have to be at this event before it's acceptable to sneak out?" He asked and they both laughed.

"Probably longer than we think." Gale shook his head and Hadley leaned back against the seat, putting an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. Gale glanced over at Brandi and felt a sense of satisfaction. He hadn't thought about his encounter with Madge in a few days, which Gale figured was much better improvement. And even though she was still in the back of his mind, he felt as if a weight of relief had been released off his chest.

As they arrived rolled up to the large hotel where the event was being held, Gale couldn't help but roll his eyes at the extravagant outfits that most people were wearing. These people were most likely from the career districts and maybe even the Capitol, Gale was just glad that him and his small group were dressed a lot more normal than the rest. They climbed out of the car and Brandi handed her keys to the valet worker, and the four of them walked inside. Gale grabbed a flute of champagne for himself and handed another one over to Brandi. They walked inside the main dining hall that was dressed in gold, with large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The group found the table they were assigned and went to sit down just as the dinner was about to be served. After they ate, they listened as a few speakers went up on stage and thanked everyone for their support. They explained how everyone's donations would be spread throughout the Districts to repair what had been damaged during the war. Gale felt himself almost dozing off as the eighth speaker finally made his way off the stage and the music started to play. The tables were cleared from the room and Brandi took Gale's hand.

"Let's go dance!" She told him, and he reluctantly got up and they maneuvered their way through the crowd of people and onto the dance floor. Gale put his arms around Brandi as a slower song filled the air and the two of them swayed to the music.

"You're so quiet all the time." She said after a couple of minutes, a small smile spreading across her face. "What are you thinking about?"

Gale smiled at her and shrugged. "Nothing at all." He said quietly and planted a small kiss on her lips. She kissed him back sweetly but Gale pulled away after a few moments, looking around uneasily.

"What? What's wrong?" Brandi looked around as well, but Gale didn't see anything. He had the strange feeling that somebody was watching them.

"Nothing, sorry." He shook his head to clear his mind and quickly spun her around the dance floor.

The night went on as they danced and drank champagne, and met people they had no interest in meeting. By the end of the night, Brandi's feet were beginning to hurt so Gale seized the chance to finally leave.

"Just sit here and I'll grab Hadley and Em." Gale kissed her on the cheek and started to make his way through the crowd of people and across the room to where the couple were standing and talking. When he finally reached them, he placed a hand on Hadley's shoulder.

"Hey, Brandi's getting tired, is it alright if we head out soon?" He asked as Hadley turned to face him and his friend nodded.

"Yeah of course, we'll just be a couple more minutes. We'll meet you outside" He told Gale who nodded and went to find he way back to Brandi again.

As he walked, he looked over at a small group of people to his left. They were all laughing and talking and a few of them were grabbing champagne flutes from a tray being held by one of the servers. As he scanned over their faces, he glanced at the server and his grey eyes landed on a very familiar pair of blue ones and suddenly his feet stopped in their tracks. Madge Undersee was standing not even ten feet away from him, her hair was tied up in a knot and she was wearing the matching black and white outfit that all the servers were wearing for the event. Recognition registered in her eyes and suddenly she was backing away, manoeuvering her way through the crowd to get away from him. But Gale was right on her heels, he wasn't going to loose her again, not if he could help it. Madge pushed her through the mass of people and through the swinging doors of the kitchen with Gale right behind her, not caring if he was allowed back there or not.

"Madge." He growled and the blonde dropped her tray of glasses, the shattering crash causing a few of the staff to look in her direction. Before she could do anything about it, Gale had a hold of her arm and was pulling her into one of the large pantry's stocked with food. He slammed the door shut and spun around to face her.

"What the hell, Undersee?!" He grabbed both her shoulders and shook her. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!" He was shouting but figured the noise of the busy kitchen would drown him out.

Madge had her eyes squeezed shut and tried to push him away from her, but Gale's grip was stronger. "Please just let me go." She said, her voice small.

Gale let her go and ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. "I saw the bombs hit your house Madge. Where were you? Where have you been?" All of his questions came pouring out and he couldn't stop himself when he reached forward again and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Madge's body was rigid and after a moment, she started pushing him away.

"I have to go Gale." She said quietly, her eyes refusing to meet his and Gale held onto her arms lightly.

"What do you mean? Madge I thought you were dead!" he said and forced out a laugh. "I nearly went crazy because I thought it was all my fault! How did you escape? How did you get here?" As he talked, realization came across his face. "And you were at the bar that night! Why did you leave?" His mind was going a mile a minute but Madge only shook her head.

"Leave me alone Gale. Don't try to find me." She shoved him back and moved to the door.

"What the hell?" Gale watched her confused and got in front of the door before she could. "What's going on with you? We were friends Madge, and dammit, I even started to have feelings for you! And now you just push me away like I'm nobody, like that meant nothing to you?" He was suddenly angry, he felt like he had come to the end of a long road only to realize it was a dead end. "You owe me an explanation!"

Madge's fists clenched and she focused on a spot on the floor. "Fine. Meet me at Barlow's tomorrow night at eleven. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but then I never want to see you again." With that, she pushed past him again and left him standing in the pantry, staring at her in shock.


End file.
